• Signup for Email
  • About
    • Mission & Vision
    • Leadership
      • Mike Shaver
      • Jan Stepto-Millett
      • John Springer
      • Paula Corrigan-Halpern
      • Hilary Freeman
      • Sara Irmen
      • Dawnielle Jeffrey
      • Melissa Ludington
      • Renae Storey
      • Amanda Whitlock
      • Lori Poppen
      • Mendy Smith
    • Board of Trustees
    • License & Accreditation
    • Mission & Vision
    • Financial Information
    • Client Policy and Rights
  • Get Involved
    • Join an Auxiliary Board
      • Associate Board
        • Associate Board Membership Request Form
      • Hinsdale Auxiliary
      • Lost Dunes Golf Committee
      • Rice Leadership Committee
      • The Woman’s Board
      • Central Regional Advisory Board
      • Northern Regional Advisory Board
      • Southern Regional Advisory Board
    • Attend or Sponsor an Event
    • Get Your Company Involved
    • Volunteer
      • Volunteer Metro
      • Volunteer Central
      • Volunteer Northern
      • Volunteer Southern
  • Ways to Give
    • Make a Donation
    • Become a Monthly Donor
    • Shop Amazon Smile
    • Attend or Sponsor an Event
    • Get Your Company Involved
    • Remember Us in Your Will
    • Make a Gift of Stock
    • Give Through Your IRA
    • Create Your Own Fundraising Event or Campaign
    • See Our Impact
  • Policy Center
    • The Federation for Community Schools
    • Advocacy
    • Result of the Quarter
    • Get our Newsletter!
  • Events
  • Blog & News
  • Locations
  • Careers
    • New Hire Benefits
    • Intern
Children's Home + Aid
Give Today
  •  Adoption
    Services
    • Become an Adoptive Parent
    • Adoption Family Profiles
      • Pauline
      • Successful Placement: Leo and Steve
    • Adoption & Guardianship Preservation
    • Adoption Information Request
    • Adoption Resources
    • Pregnancy, Early Parent, and Adoption Counseling
    • Post Adoption Services
  •  Foster Care
    Services
    • Become a Foster Parent
      • Learn More – Metro Chicago
      • Learn More – Northern Illinois
      • Learn More – Southern Illinois
    • Foster Care with Relatives
    • Foster Parent Resources
    • Adult Connections
    • Excellence Academy
    • Sibling Connections
    • Specialized Foster Care
    • Therapeutic Foster Care
  •  Counseling &
    Treatment Programs
    • Adoption Support & Preservation
    • Choose 2 Change
    • Community Based Behavioral Health
    • Early Prevention In The Community
    • Families And Children in Treatment
    • Family Centered Counseling Services
    • Family Solutions
    • FCAN
    • Project Connect
    • Residential Services
      • Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Child & Family Center
      • Independent Living
    • SPARCS
    • The Butterfly Project
    • Youth Services
      • Redeploy
      • Youth Services
  • Parenting
    • The Butterfly Project
    • The Children’s Room
    • Crisis Nursery
      • Motherhouse Crisis Nursery
      • Crisis Nursery in Bloomington
    • Early Start
    • Family Visitation Center
    • Healthy Families Illinois
    • Doula
    • Kid’s Turn
    • Parents Care & Share
    • Power of Fathers
    • Pregnancy, Early Parent, and Adoption Counseling
    • Stronger Beginnings for Families
  •  Child Care
    & Education
    • Community Child Care Centers
      • Bloomington
      • Carpentersville
      • Englewood
      • Palatine
      • Schaumburg
      • Viva Chicago
    • Early Head Start
    • Head Start
    • Preschool For All
    • Child Care Assistance Program
    • Child Care Resource and Referral
      • Southern Region
        • Looking for Child Care
        • Parent Resources
        • Provider Services
        • Statistical Information
        • Training Opportunities
        • CCR&R Staff Directory
  • Signup for Email
  • About
    • Mission & Vision
    • Leadership
      • Mike Shaver
      • Jan Stepto-Millett
      • John Springer
      • Paula Corrigan-Halpern
      • Hilary Freeman
      • Sara Irmen
      • Dawnielle Jeffrey
      • Melissa Ludington
      • Renae Storey
      • Amanda Whitlock
      • Lori Poppen
      • Mendy Smith
    • Board of Trustees
    • License & Accreditation
    • Mission & Vision
    • Financial Information
    • Client Policy and Rights
  • Get Involved
    • Join an Auxiliary Board
      • Associate Board
        • Associate Board Membership Request Form
      • Hinsdale Auxiliary
      • Lost Dunes Golf Committee
      • Rice Leadership Committee
      • The Woman’s Board
      • Central Regional Advisory Board
      • Northern Regional Advisory Board
      • Southern Regional Advisory Board
    • Attend or Sponsor an Event
    • Get Your Company Involved
    • Volunteer
      • Volunteer Metro
      • Volunteer Central
      • Volunteer Northern
      • Volunteer Southern
  • Ways to Give
    • Make a Donation
    • Become a Monthly Donor
    • Shop Amazon Smile
    • Attend or Sponsor an Event
    • Get Your Company Involved
    • Remember Us in Your Will
    • Make a Gift of Stock
    • Give Through Your IRA
    • Create Your Own Fundraising Event or Campaign
    • See Our Impact
  • Policy Center
    • The Federation for Community Schools
    • Advocacy
    • Result of the Quarter
    • Get our Newsletter!
  • Events
  • Blog & News
  • Locations
  • Careers
    • New Hire Benefits
    • Intern

Raising a Reader

Need For Early Literacy Programming

Children from low-income households trail behind their higher-income counterparts in literacy at an astounding level. According to research, youth from low income families typically score at or above the average level in reading at half the rate of children from more privileged homes. Poverty negatively affects both material resources and learning resources, which youth need to achieve early literacy development. Research shows that there is a drastic difference between access to these material resources in impoverished communities as compared to wealthier communities: in low income communities, only one book title is available for every 300 children, as compared to 13 book titles available for every child in middle class communities.

Raising A Reader Programming

The Raising A Reader program currently serves over 350 children ages three to five at Children’s Home + Aid’s Early Childhood Care + Education Centers. The Raising A Reader program marries two of the Early Childhood Care + Education Centers’ goals: 1) to ensure that children are “kindergarten ready” when they leave the program at age five and 2) to work with parents and caregivers to support their involvement in the education of their children. The program supports early brain development, parent-child bonding and early literacy skills by encouraging parents to read with their children and engage their child in positive parent-child activities that support emergent language and literacy skills.

The Raising A Reader program allows staff to work with children and parents of various cultural backgrounds and literacy levels to teach them how to engage in language sharing and reading activities through the use of culturally sensitive books. Children receive “Red Book Bags” filled with books and materials to use at home. Parents are given training and support to engage in “Book Cuddling” activities at home. By involving the entire family in Raising A Reader activities, parents become positive role models for reading. In addition to building the relationship between parent and child, Raising A Reader programming also helps ignite a love for education in low-income children which, in turn, helps to put them on equal footing with their middle-to upper-class peers once they enter Kindergarten.

The Impact Of Raising A Reader—A Success Story

There was a great enthusiasm for the Raising A Reader program when it was first introduced that continued throughout the year, with parents and teachers in the Freidheim Center’s other classrooms eagerly inquiring about when the program would be expanded to serve them as well. The “Red Book Bags” filled with parent-child books and literacy activity materials that the children went home with created a ‘buzz’ at the Freidheim Center, making the families involved in the program feel privileged to participate, enhancing their commitment. One parent commented on her experience with the program by saying, ‘For the first time ever my family finally has a routine, first the red bag, then showers, then bed.’ By involving the entire family in literacy and reading activities, the Raising A Reader program has helped parents become positive role models for reading. In addition to building the relationship betweenThe Impact Of Raising A Reader—A Success Story

Children's Home + Aid

Corporate Home Office

125 South Wacker Drive, 14th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606
(312) 424-0200
+ DONATE NOW!

ABOUT

  • Media / Press Room
    • Press Releases
  • Careers
  • Financial Information
  • Licenses & Accreditation
  • Corporate & Foundation Partners
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy

GET IN TOUCH

  • Contact Us
  • Volunteer
  • United Way
  • COA

© copyright 2019 children’s home + aid